Ceramic picture holder



Feb. 6, 1951 E. E. KELLEMS CERAMIC PICTURE HOLDER Filed March 25, 1947 gwvam bor/ EDGAR E. KELLEMS Patented Feb. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERAMIC PICTURE HOLDER Edgar E. Kellems, Pasadena, Calif assignor to Florence Ceramics Inc., Pasadena, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 25, 1947, Serial No. 737,179

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to picture holders, and amon the objects of my invention are:

First-To provide a picture holder which is particularly adapted to be molded of ceramic material.

Second.-To provide a picture holder which encloses the picture, except for an appropriate window opening in the front thereof and an access opening in its base, a margin of the access opening defining a shoulder adapted to cooperate with a novel retainer member or backing member for securing the picture and window glass within the holder.

Third-To provide a picture holder which is simple and economical of manufacture, as well as both attractive and serviceable.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my picture holder.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of retainer.

Fig. 5 is a back view of the retainer folded for use.

Fig. 6 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a developed view thereof My picture holder includes a housing I which is particularly designed, so that it may be molded of ceramic material. Molding may be accomplished by the process wherein clay slip is poured into an appropriately-shaped cavity and a portion of the water mixture allowed to percolate out through the walls of the mold leaving a wall of clay. The slip which remains in a fluid condition is then poured from the mold after which the mold is opened and the hollow molded article removed for firing and other further treatment.

The housing I so formed comprises a back side 2 and a front side 3, joined on three sides by edge portions 4, so as to form a flat cavity. The front side is provided with a window opening 5 occupying the major portion thereof. The opening may be rectangular, round, oval or any other suitable shape and is preferably cut therein after the housing has been molded. It is preferred that the margins of the window opening be slightly inturned, as indicated by 6, so that the window glass inserted therein will bear against the margins of the opening instead of other portions of the front side 3.

2 The housing I is enlarged at its lower end to form a base 'i which is preferably so arranged that when the housing is seated on its base 1 the housing inclines backwardly. An access,

slot 8 is formed in the base and is preferably somewhat wider than the cavity formed in the housing and offset slightly. Within the base portion of the housing, immediately above the forward and rearward sides of the access slot, there are formed grooves 9 and ID, the lower sides of which form shoulders II and I2 respectively. The forward shoulder ll preferably projects rearwardly a slight distance beyond the plane of the front side 3 by reason of the offset location of the access opening.

The housing is adapted to receive through its access slot 8 a transparent plate l3, a picture [4 and a backing member I5 arranged in the order named from the front side of the housing. The backing member [5 is preferably formed of cardboard or the like and is scored along its side and end margins to form side flaps l6, a top flap l1 and a bottom flap IS. The side and top flaps are doubled against the rear side of the backing member, so that they bear against the back wall 2 of the housing and form a yieldable means for maintaining the transparent plate in contact with the margins of the transparent plate 5. The bottom flap [8 is folded forwardly and is adapted to enter the forward groove 9 and rest on the shoulder II. This fia'p underlies the picture l4 and window glass l3, so that by reason of its engagement with the shoulder H, the picture and glass, as Well as the backing member itself, are held within the housing I.

While the backing member prevents accidental loss of the window glass or picture from the housing, it may nevertheless be readily pried away from the shoulder H, so that the contents of the housing may be removed.

Reference is directed to the modified form shown in Fig. 4. Here the structure is essentially the same as hereinbefore described, except that the bottom margin of the backing member I5 is first folded rearwardly to form an open loop [9, which fits into the rear groove Ill. The lower extremity of the backing member extends upwardly from the loop [9 to form a tongue 20 which fits into the forward groove 9 in the manner of the bottom flap I9. By this means the access opening may be virtually entirely closed by the backing member, and the lower end, as well as the sides and top thereof, may function to urge the picture and window glass forwardly.

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

, What I claim is:

1. A picture holder, comprising: a single piece, flat, hollow housing defining a cavity open at the lower end of said housing and having parallel front and rear walls, the front wall being apertured, the lower end of said housing being enlarged forwardly and rearwardly to form a supporting base, said cavity being correspondingly enlarged to form internal shoulders bordering its open lower end; a picture mounting assembly including a rigid transparent plate and a picture backing member adapted to be inserted into said cavity, said backing member including yieldable means urging said transparent plate against the margins of the aperture in the front wall of said cavity, and a foldable lip adapted to be positioned to overlie at least one of said shoulders to retain in said housing said backing member,

transparent plate and a picture disposedtherebetween.

2. A picture holder, comprising: a flat, hollow housing having a viewing opening in one side and an access opening in its base in registry with the hollow interior of said housing, said housing defining a shoulder within said base, and a backing member fitting within said housing and including laterally directed means at its lower end overlying said shoulder to retain said backing member therein, said means also forming a support to retain a picture in said housing, and means for urging said backing member toward the viewing opening side of said housing.

A picture holder, comprising: a fiat, single piece hollow housing molded of ceramic material and including a viewing opening in its front wall, an access slit in its lower end insert, and a transverse channel within its lower end above said access opening at its forward side forming a stop shoulder; a rigid transparent element, and a retainer adapted to be inserted through said access opening; said retainer including a foldable lateral projection adapted to overlie said shoulder and underlie said transparent element to form a support therefor, and means for yieldably urging said picture and transparent element against the viewing opening side of said housing.

4. A picture holder, comprising: a flat single piece molded of ceramic material and defining a flat cavity, a viewing opening at the forward side of, and an access opening at the base end of said cavity in registry therewith, one margin of said cavity opening being ofiset rearwardly relatively REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1 r 254,761 Zinn Mar. 5, 1882 723,577 Benziger Mar. 24, 1903 1,815,841 Gastgivan July 21, 1931' 1,997,041 Campbell Apr. 9, 1935 FoREiGN PATENTS Number Country Date Australia Dec. 7, 1935 

